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By Avi Ganz Originally printed on Times of Israel (Reprinted with Author’s Permission) “Rebellion against your handicaps gets you nowhere. Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world — making the most of one’s best.” ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick Years ago, it was widely accepted that any person who was noticeably different (religious belief, skin color, … Continue reading →

By KosherTroops.com Sara Feurst and Ava Hamburger, founders of KosherTroops.com, received our many letters, pictures and chocolates in time to send overseas to Jewish servicemen and women in time for Chanukah. Many thanks to all those who brought chocolates and letters to the Scranton JCC and to the Jewish Resource Center of the Poconos. Special thank you to Rika Shaffer and the JCC preschool for the pretty Chanukah pictures they colored. A special thank you … Continue reading →

Sharsheret, Hebrew for “chain”, is a national not-for-profit organization supporting young women and their families, of all Jewish backgrounds, facing breast cancer. Their mission is to offer a community of support to women diagnosed with breast cancer or at increased genetic risk, by fostering culturally-relevant individualized connections with networks of peers, health professionals, and related resources. In our local community many have been affected by breast cancer and Jewish Family Service is excited to play … Continue reading →

-by David I. Fallk, Chairman, Community Relations Committee On Wednesday, September 3rd, Israeli Consul General for the Mid-Atlantic Region, Yaron Sideman, addressed Jewish leaders at the Scranton JCC on the issues facing Israel on its southern, northern and eastern borders with special emphasis on the efforts Israel made in its recent war with Gaza to avoid civilian casualties to the fullest extent possible. He explained that Israel’s humanitarian efforts in that regard were obstructed by … Continue reading →

by Elaine Durbach NJJN Staff Writer Re-printed with permission of NJJN July 23, 2014 As a little girl, Rachel Card decided she wanted to be a nun — until a teacher mentioned that she would need to believe in Jesus. “That kind of killed that career opportunity for me,” she said. Though her family is Catholic and she had profound spiritual feelings, for some reason Christianity never clicked for her. “I can’t remember a time … Continue reading →

by Mark Silverberg On Thursday, July 24th the Jewish communities of northeast PA came together at the Scranton JCC to show their support for and solidarity with Israel in its conflict with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists based in Gaza. Addressing an estimated audience of 250 persons, guest speaker Micah Halpern confronted many of the issues faced by Israel in this war – issues that included Hamas’s double war crime of using civilians as … Continue reading →

Israel Emergency Appeal Help relocate and care for families and children in danger Strengthen post-traumatic stress services Finding safe haven for all who are in harm’s way Provide financial assistance to Israeli organizations that are providing emergency medical services Provide bomb shelters for Kibbutz Sa’ad that straddles the Gaza border The Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania has launched an Israel Emergency Appeal the proceeds of which will assist in relocating and caring for Israeli … Continue reading →

Reprinted Courtesy The Yeshiva World The Jewish Agency for Israel will take thousands of children and teens from rocket-battered southern Israel for rest and recreation activities outside the line of fire throughout this week. The activities were made possible by the support of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and are being undertaken in coordination with the National Emergency Authority, government ministries, and local authorities. 1,500 children and teens will enjoy recreational activities on … Continue reading →

The Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania joined the thousands who marched down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on Sunday June 1, 2014. The weather was perfect and spirits ran high as participants, old and new, boarded the bus which picked up marchers in Scranton and East Stroudsburg. Many people have been marching with us since the Federation started joining the parade in 2008 and they commented that this was the nicest march for them. The theme of … Continue reading →